Planning the Christmas party

Whether you pulled the short straw, were nominated to be the chairperson of the party planning committee or actually chose to plan the company Christmas party, you have a lot of work ahead of you. Planning a Christmas party for a company may very well be the most involved party planning process of the whole year, especially if you are planning a party for a large number of people. There are lots of considerations to make. Hopefully the following list will provide you with some of the most common necessities to any Christmas party. Use these topics as a jumping off point to your planning to ensure that you remember the most important things.

The budget - Of course the first thing that you will need to know before starting the planning process for the Christmas party is going to be "What is my budget?" Your budget will influence just about every decision that you will make during the party planning process. You need to have a fairly accurate estimate before even thinking about making reservations, purchases or even decorating.

Mood (formality) - Christmas parties come in all shapes and sizes. While some Christmas parties are laid back and casual others can be extremely formal. Chances are that your budget is going to be a big indicator of the type of mood that your Christmas party will have. Whatever you choose for your mood, make sure that the guests are notified ahead of time so that embarrassment from being underdressed is avoided.

Food - There are so many considerations when it comes to food that it is difficult to summarize all that needs to be done in a few short paragraphs. So make sure that when it comes to the food that you have been extremely thorough, not forgetting to include such things as; the food itself, the servers, utensils, number of courses, clean-up, etc.

Number of guests - Get a count as soon as possible. Know if family members are invited and how that will change the numbers.

Gifts - Decide whether or not the company will be giving out Christmas gifts at the party and how that will affect your budget.

Program - Many times the top executives of the company like to take some time at the company Christmas party to talk about the success of the last year and to add some words of thanks and encouragement for years to come. If your bosses would like to do this you will need to organize a program as well as audio and maybe even visual equipment if it is needed.

Reservations - It is never too early to make a reservation, especially around Christmas time. As soon as you have your orders to start planning look to secure the venue, caterer, parking valet, security, etc. for the specific night, time and location of your event.

Entertainment - Entertainment costs are often left to the last in the party planning process. However the entertainment is usually one of the most memorable parts of the party and can certainly make or break the mood. You can find good entertainment on a budget, but just make sure that your formal event doesn't end up being headlined by the local school choir.

Decorations - A Christmas party just would not be complete without decorations. Depending on the theme and the age of the people who will be invited to the party, start brainstorming on how you can make an otherwise empty room into a wintry wonderland that looks like a million bucks but costs a lot less. This portion of the Christmas party planning will take some creative and artistic thinking to bring together. Take advantage of anyone with these specific talents when you are planning your committee.

Get all the help you can get - Do not be shy about asking party planners of years past for their tips, ideas and maybe even their checklists if they still have access to them. Learn from their mistakes and ask their opinions on things that you have already planned. You do not have to take all of the advice that is given, but you just may stumble upon some words of wisdom that you may not have been able to live through this party planning process without.